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they were saying, "Your innkeepers mix the wine with water," and they condemned the innocent, letting the guilty go. 1924 And the phrase, "those who are wise in their own eyes," is said not only of those who seem to know what they do not know, but also of those who have the gift of knowledge, but do not impart it to others. "For wisdom that is hidden and a treasure that is unseen, what profit is in them both?" Such was the one who hid the talent, remaining wise unto himself. And if someone uses knowledge for an evil purpose, and not for the glory of God, he is not knowledgeable in the sight of God, just as neither is the one who credits the achievement to himself, and does not praise God as the cause of the gift. To whom it is opportune to say, "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" And understanding is said to be a kind of good comprehension of the soul, quickly bringing together into one the concepts of things; that is, an easily-comprehending mental acuity, finding what is proper to each thing. But knowledge is a state having certainty in itself, unchangeable by reason. But wisdom, they say, is the knowledge of divine and human things, and of their causes. But since Christ is wisdom itself, we will call wise the one who has been perfected by participation in Christ, inasmuch as he is wisdom; like the master builders of that tabernacle; "For I will fill them," he says, "with a spirit of wisdom and knowledge;" which if anyone does not attribute to him, he is wretched. And wine and strong drink were forbidden to Nazirites, and to the priests entering the holy places. And Solomon in Proverbs says: "Rulers are wrathful, let them not drink wine, lest having drunk they forget wisdom." For one must have an untroubled mind, both he who serves God, and he who cares for men. For the least is pardonable out of mercy; "but the mighty shall be mightily tested." And to whom they have committed much, of him they will ask the more. And everyone who is overcome by passion is said to be drunk to the extent that he is overcome by it, proportionally undergoing the ecstasy, and through its confusion proceeding to the forgetting of wisdom, but how can one who has wisdom be wrathful? Because he is not yet speaking of the one free from passion; but concerning the one who has moderate passions he also says elsewhere, "A foolish man on the same day will declare his anger, but a wise man stores it up in part." For he restrains passion with reason, as it is said, "Be angry and do not sin." But the Lord, commanding more perfect things, forbade anger altogether. κδλʹ. 9Therefore, as the stubble shall be burnt by a coal of fire, and shall be consumed by a burning flame. Their root shall be as chaff, and their blossom shall go up as dust. 1925 For they did not desire the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but they provoked the oracle of the Holy One of Israel9, etc. He proclaims beforehand again through threats the punishments, if somehow having heard they might turn back. And he says, "therefore," that is, because of the things that have been said, not because of some chance, or natural necessity, or fate, but because of the trespasses which he set forth. For to those who instead of grapes have produced wood, and grass, and stubble, and a multitude of thorns, he fittingly says the phrase, "As the stubble shall be consumed," and he calls a burning flame that which is unrestrained and proceeds at will with nothing hindering it. And he means the beauty of the body, and the glory of wealth, and the comeliness of the whole nation, which, he says, will be scattered like dust. And not even now does he accuse them of idolatry, but that they did not receive the law, about which he said: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." And he might also mean that of Moses; "For if you believed," he says, "Moses, you would believe me. For he wrote about me." But neither did they receive the word of the gospel. For this reason, he says, the Lord has been angered against his people. For he wished them to be his own people, but they did not accept it; therefore he foretells to them an attack of enemies, and a multitude of those being slain, so that the mountains themselves are filled with dead bodies. And as the wrath of God remains upon them even until now, it is said, "His hand is stretched out still." Which Paul, indicating, says, "But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost." Whence then has he brought on such great plagues, an assault of nations

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ἔλεγον, "Οἱ κάπηλοί σου μίσγουσιν τὸν οἶνον ὕδατι," καὶ κατεδίκαζον δὲ τὸν ἀθῶον, ἀφιέντες τὸν αἴτιον. 1924 Λέγεται δὲ τὸ, οἱ συνετοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, οὐ μόνον περὶ τῶν εἰδέναι δοκούντων, ἅπερ οὐκ ἴσασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐχόντων μὲν χάρισμα γνώσεως, οὐ μεταδιδόντων δὲ τούτου τοῖς ἄλλοις. "Σοφία γὰρ κεκρυμμένη καὶ θησαυρὸς ἀφανὴς, τίς ὠφελία ἐν ἀμφοτέροις;" Οἷος ἦν ὁ τὸ τάλαντον κρύψας παρ' ἑαυτῷ μείνας σοφός. Κἂν ἐπὶ κακῷ δέ τις, καὶ μὴ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ χρῆται τῇ γνώσει, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ ἐπιστήμων, ὡς οὐδὲ ὁ καταγράφων ἑαυτῷ τὸ κατόρθωμα, καὶ μὴ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς αἴτιον τῆς δωρεᾶς ἀνυμνῶν. Πρὸς ὃν εὔκαιρον εἰπεῖν, "Τί δὲ ἔχεις ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔλαβες, τί καυχᾶσαι ὡς μὴ λαβών;" Λέγεται δὲ σύνεσις, οἷον εὐπαρακολουθησία ψυχῆς, ὀξέως εἰς ἓν συναγούσης τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐννοίας· ἤγουν ἐντρέχεια διανοίας εὐπαρακολούθητος, τῷ ἑκάστῳ πράγματι οἰκεῖον εὑρίσκουσα. Ἐπιστήμη δὲ, ἕξι ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ βέβαιον ἔχουσα, ἀμετάπτωτος ὑπὸ λόγου. Σοφίαν δὲ, φασὶν, ἐπιστήμην θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, καὶ τῶν τούτων αἰτιῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοσοφία ὁ Χριστὸς, σοφὸν ἐροῦμεν τὸν κατὰ μετοχὴν Χριστοῦ, καθ' ὃ σοφία ἐστὶν, τετελειωμένον· ὡς οἱ τῆς σκηνῆς ἐκείνης ἀρχιτέκτονες· "Ἐμπλήσω γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, πνεύματος σοφίας καὶ ἐπιστήμης·" ἅ τις αὐτῷ μὴ ἀνατιθεὶς ταλανίζεται. Ἀπείρητο δὲ Ναζιραίοις οἷνος καὶ σίκερα, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν εἰσιοῦσιν εἰς τὰ ἅγια. Καὶ Σολομῶν ἐν Παροιμίαις φησίν· "Οἳ δυνάσται θυμώδεις εἰσὶν, οἶνον μὴ πινέτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς σοφίας." ∆εῖ γὰρ ἀθόλωτον ἔχειν τὸν νοῦν τόν τε Θεὸν θεραπεύοντα, καὶ τὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελούμενον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐλάχιστος καὶ συγγνωστὸς ἐλέου· "∆υνατοὶ δὲ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται." Καὶ ᾧ πολὺ παρέθεντο περισσότερον ἀπαιτήσουσιν αὐτόν. Καὶ πᾶς δὲ πάθει κρατούμενος, μεθύειν λέγεται τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τούτῳ κεκράτηται, κατὰ λόγον ὑπομένων τὴν ἔκστασιν, καὶ συγχύσει ταύτης εἰς λήθην τῆς σοφίας χωρῶν, ἀλλὰ πῶς ὁ ἔχων σοφίαν θυμώδης; Ὅτι μήπω λέγει τὸν ἀπαθῆ· περὶ δὲ τοῦ μετριοπαθοῦς καὶ ἑτέρωθί πού φησιν, "Ἄφρων αὐθήμερον ἐξαγγελεῖ ὀργὴν, σοφὸς δὲ ταμιεύεται κατὰ μέρος." Λογισμῷ γὰρ τὸ πάθος ἡνιοχεῖ, καθὸ λέγεται, "Ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε." Ὁ δὲ Κύριος διατάσσων τὰ τελειότερα, καθόλου τὴν ὀργὴν ἀπηγόρευσεν. κδλʹ. 9∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὃν τρόπον καυθήσεται καλάμη ὑπὸ ἄνθρακος πυρὸς, καὶ συγκαυθήσεται ὑπὸ φλογὸς ἀνειμένης. Ἡ ῥίζα αὐτῶν ὡς χνοῦς ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτῶν, ὡς κονιορτὸς ἀναβήσεται. 1925 Οὐ γὰρ ἠθέλησαν τὸν νόμον Κυρίου Σαββαὼθ, ἀλλὰ τὸ λόγιον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυναν9, κ.τ.λ. Προανακηρύττει πάλιν ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τὰς κολάσεις, εἴ πως ἐπιστραφεῖεν ἀκούσαντες. Λέγει δὲ, διὰ τοῦτο, τοῦτ' ἔστιν διὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, οὐ διά τινα συντυχίαν, ἢ φυσικὴν ἀνάγκην, ἢ εἱμαρμένην, δι' ἅπερ δὲ ἐξέθετο πλημμελήματα. Τοῖς γὰρ ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς ξύλα, καὶ χόρτον, καὶ καλάμην, ἀκανθῶν τε πλῆθος πεποιηκόσιν, εἰκότως τὸ, Ὃν τρόπον συγκαυθήσεται καλάμη, φησὶ φλόγα δὲ ἀνειμένην καλεῖ τὴν ἀκάθεκτον, καὶ μηδενὸς κωλύοντος ἐπ' ἐξουσίας· βαδίζουσαν. ∆ὲ τὴν ὡραιότητα λέγει τοῦ σώματος, τοῦ τε πλούτου τὴν δόξαν, καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους εὐπρέπειαν, ἃ τρόπον κονιορτοῦ, φησὶ, διασκεδασθήσεται. Οὐδὲ νῦν δὲ αὐτῶν εἰδωλολατρείαν κατηγορεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅτι μὴ τὸν νόμον κατεδέξαντο, περὶ οὗπερ ἔφασκεν· "Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος, καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ." Λέγοι δ' ἂν καὶ τὸν Μωϋσέως· "Εἰ ἐπιστεύετε γὰρ, φησὶ, Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί. Περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ἐδέξαντο λόγον. ∆ιὸ τεθυμῶσθαι, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ Κύριον. Ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ ἤθελεν εἶναι λαὸν, οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐδέξαντο· λοιπὸν αὐτοῖς πολεμίων ἔφοδον προφωνεῖ, καὶ πλῆθος τῶν ἀναιρουμένων, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ πληροῦσθαι τὰ ὄρη σωμάτων νεκρῶν. Οἷον δὲ παραμενούσης αὐτοῖς εἰς ἔτι νῦν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῆς, εἴρηται τὸ, Ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ ὑψηλή. Ὃ δηλῶνὁ Παῦλός φησιν, "Ἔφθασεν δὲ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος." Πόθεν δὲ τὰ τοσαῦτα θνησιμαῖα λοιπὸν ἐπενήνοχεν, ἔφοδον ἐθνῶν